The number of hours a new mother works has a bigger impact on breastfeeding than the length of her maternity leave.
A new Australian study found moms who returned to work within six months of childbirth were significantly less likely to continue to breastfeed.
But, those who worked 19 hours a week or less showed no drop in their tendency to breastfeed regardless of when they returned to their jobs.
Researchers examined 2,300 working Australian mothers for the study.
They suggest reducing the hours of employment for new mothers can help sustain breastfeeding rates.
